Well, I made it to church this morning. I enjoy the beautiful garden setting outdoors where the services are held. The gigantic trees behind the freshly mowed pews provide us with shade. The sun starts making its way over the congregation beginning on the right side of the parishioners and on the left side of the Pastor. Today I sat where I thought the sun might hit a little later in the service.
At the beginning of the service, the sun shone through the trees directly onto the pages of my borrowed bible. I knew something important was about to finally make itself known beyond all of my doubts.
We were studying Psalms 34. Now, this is interesting because I missed Thursday night’s service this past week, but the week before that I attended. We were studying the same Psalm. The Pastor consulted the group that night on whether we were spending too much time on The Psalms altogether. Everybody agreed that we were not. Since today we were studying the same Psalm, 34, I wasn't sure if maybe we were beating a dead horse
The Sunday, following the Thursday that I did attend, the same Psalm was focused on. I thought to myself, "Well this is great! I’m really going to know this Psalm after focusing on it twice". In addition to this particular Psalm, 34, the Pastor paralleled his sermon with 1 Peter, again. Today it was 1 Peter 3:8-9.
Now, during the first two encounters with Psalm 34 and 1 Peter, I began to feel guilty about things I had said about Michael Jackson on a social networking website. I considered lightening-up on my comments and posts, and so I did. Not good enough. There’s still my blog post titled, “Michael Jackson – False Messiah?”
Feeling guilty, I thought about how, within this past year, I had decided not to contribute to any more negativity in the universe than is already being spewed. I am working on releasing positive thoughts rather than participating any further to random hatred by releasing negative thoughts and feelings about people I do or do not know into the universe. After all, a drop of water leads to the outermost ripple.
If my self-perceived unimportant comment or expressed negative thought can change people, and can be contagious, then it may not be considered“bad press” in the traditional sense, but it could make it's way as far as that farthest ripple. Imagine what kind of negativity my little drop-of-water-blog could possibly create while riding its ripple?
Needless to say, I had contemplated removing my Michael Jackson post several times. In it I have added to the unproven rumors and accusations that represent a creepy side to Michael Jackson many of us believe. I usually try to stress, when talking with my child, that the charges of child molestation were “alleged”, and explain what "alleged" means. I also try to impress upon her that the courts never pronounced him guilty and that part of the law is supposed to be respected. Reputation is not fact. Unfortunately, this conversation comes immediately after I have voiced all kinds of “crap” about him to my daughter, because the conversation is useful for teaching her about molestation.
Getting back to Psalm 34. The focus was squarely on 34:12 and a desire to "love life and see good days". Then Psalm 34:13 goes on to say how to do that… “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.” Well, my mind was screaming, “the things you said and posted online are unproven. You should not prop them up at all”. Even if I cannot celebrate him as others do, I can choose not to perpetuate rumors and innuendo.
Is God smacking me? I do not need to stoop to “shock-blogging”.
Speaking of blogging, the pastor used blogging as an example. Another smack. The pastor has some pastor-friends that blog, and some did pretty much the same thing I did. Our pastor disagreed with his friends and points to Psalms 34:13 in support. Today he let us know that one of his Pastor friends took his post down. There’s a fine example of a human being. (no sarcasm here whatsoever), (or there). The Pastor goes on to say that if we, as “The Church” (people of God), live in Grace for the world, as examples, we must live life worthy of that Grace. The reason is God is watching us. Then, and this is key, he says, “God is reading your blog”. SMACK! I know the Pastor has not read my blog, has he? I barely know him.
The other scripture he used in conjunction with his sermon was John 13. In it we are given the two point, greatest commandment of all; first, to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. The second; to love your neighbor as yourself. I paraphrase of course. Loving our “neighbor”, said the Pastor is having concern for their soul. It is even charitable to have concern for the soul of Michael Jackson, instead of feeding the smash talk. This I can completely relate to.
Going back to 1 Peter 3:9, do not repay evil with evil. In this sense, if Michael Jackson did do evil things, we are not to repay that with evil. It is not what Jesus would have us do. That would be speaking of things we do not know to be true. In my post I had a lot of opinions about things I knew nothing about.
In my being “called” to blogging, I have been repeatedly led to not think about money. I thought about money. I just so happen to hate money, and I believe not thinking “money” is the way to make money. I tried to write an article that I thought would get attention due to popular sensationalism. This is not how I am being lead in the universe. I remember something an old boss used to tell me, “do what you love and the money will follow”. Since I like talking, I figured blogging couldn't be too far off the map.
I have read things written by friends that are so negative, and funny, that I have wanted to join in. The standards I have set for myself are different now. I have been striving over the last two years to take a higher road. There are famous people I don’t particularly care for, but my reasons are rooted in rumors and not in a truth shown to me. I should adhere to my new values and I will be able to “love life and see good days”.
There’s one other thing about this morning’s service that laid the breadcrumbs for me to realize that God was smacking me. A lady from the live band went and sat on the steps of the Gazebo with the pastor and spoke of how God showed his plan for her and her family. Her point was that God answered her prayers in ways she would not have chosen, but the indications were in obvious coincidences. There was a scripture that showed up among her and her family on several different occasions. The scripture, Genesis 12:1 was repeatedly showing up amongst her and her husband about new beginnings, reinforcing their plans of relocating. Between her and her son a scripture coincidence was shared. I don’t remember which scripture she said it was. She said she had been praying for her son to get off the direction he was going. Then he was arrested. It definitely got him off of his path. While he was incarcerated, he went back to his bible, and just opened it. The page he randomly came to was the same scripture that she had been meditating on.
Well, scripture has been smacking me for the past 4 weeks. As if the scripture smacks were not enough, God knows I like to laugh when I realize an “aha” moment, and when the pastor said, “God reads your blog.” I did laugh out loud. God heard me laugh, and my mind was made-up. The article has been removed.
While I was referencing my bible for this blog entry, I came across scripture that I think is moving and appropriate; John 17:1. It is a prayer for “the church”, and I feel His approval for removing the post in which my tongue spoke lies. Lies because I have no facts to back-up my work. I will post John 17 here and may you be blessed by his prayer too;
John 17 (New International Reader's Version)
1 After Jesus said this (ch. 16), he looked toward heaven and prayed. He said,
"Father, the time has come. Bring glory to your Son. Then your Son will bring glory to you. 2 You gave him authority over all people. He gives eternal life to all those you have given him.
3 "And what is eternal life? It is knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth. I have finished the work you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, give glory to me in heaven where your throne is. Give me the glory I had with you before the world began.
6 "I have shown you to the disciples you gave me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me. And they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 I gave them the words you gave me. And they accepted them. They knew for certain that I came from you. They believed that you sent me.
9 "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world. I am praying for those you have given me, because they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. Glory has come to me because of my disciples.
11 "I will not remain in the world any longer. But they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe by the power of your name. It is the name you gave me. Keep them safe so they can be one, just as you and I are one.
12 "While I was with them, I guarded them. I kept them safe through the name you gave me. None of them has been lost, except the one who was sentenced to be destroyed. It happened so that Scripture would come true.
13 "I am coming to you now. But I say these things while I am still in the world. I say them so that those you gave me can have all my joy inside them. 14 I have given them your word. The world has hated them. This is because they are not part of the world any more than I am. 15 I do not pray that you will take them out of the world. I pray that you will keep them safe from the evil one.
16 "They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to it. 17 Use the truth to make them holy. Your word is truth. 18 You sent me into the world. In the same way, I have sent them into the world. 19 I make myself holy for them so that they too can be made holy in a true sense.
20 "I do not pray only for them. I pray also for those who will believe in me because of their message. 21 Father, I pray that all of them will be one, just as you are in me and I am in you. I want them also to be in us. Then the world will believe that you have sent me.
22 "I have given them the glory you gave me. I did this so they would be one, just as we are one. 23 I will be in them, just as you are in me. I want them to be brought together perfectly as one. This will let the world know that you sent me. It will also show the world that you have loved those you gave me, just as you have loved me.
24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am. I want them to see my glory, the glory you have given me. You gave it to me because you loved me before the world was created.
25 "Father, you are holy. The world does not know you, but I know you. Those you have given me know you have sent me. 26 I have shown you to them. And I will continue to show you to them. Then the love you have for me will be in them. I myself will be in them."
I am surprised and humbled that Jesus would pray for us, maybe I never noticed this before, but it is an example of how his word “lives”.
